Bottom line, Dallas Food, who did the reporting, does not disparage the quality of the chocolate (though they find some fault with the processing). However, you'll be astounded to see what happens to the price as it is imported and prepared.

This is food snobbism or naiveté in a head on crash with caveat emptor._________________God writes a lot of comedy... the trouble is, he's stuck with so many bad actors who don't know how to play funny. -- Garrison Keillor

Rainey,
I use the Bonnat couverture (purchased through Rimfire Imports on Maui) @72% cacao in my patisserie on the big island of Hawaii. Conversely I pay $15.83 per pound when buying 30-kilo cases. Shame on this pseudo chocolate company for charging the shameful prices that they do...Chocolatiers unite!

Where do you come up with this information, as I do not have that much time to read & research? Bravo _________________Aloha nui,

It's from SlashFood.com They do 4-8 articles a day from a variety of contributors. Some are silly, some informative, some not related to things that fit my particular interests but I find it worth checking each morning to see if there's something worth following up on. That one was really interesting.

PS You were totally right about the marshmallows! Even the second pan that did very well for 5 or 6 days is starting to get weepy. I'll definitely boil to soft ball stage next time. Funny thing, when the kids gobbled it right up or applied it to their hair and my furniture I never found out I had compromised the keeping quality. =o I'm making a note in my LA Times recipe._________________God writes a lot of comedy... the trouble is, he's stuck with so many bad actors who don't know how to play funny. -- Garrison Keillor

Emily- I thought the killer part (don't know if you took the time to read the whole thing  they really played it out to put a page worth of info into 10 parts!) was seeing an equivalent price of both chocolates and seeing that the Bonnat was observably in better temper!_________________God writes a lot of comedy... the trouble is, he's stuck with so many bad actors who don't know how to play funny. -- Garrison Keillor

Wow, I'm tempted to say "only in America," but somehow I think I'd be proven wrong. What a waste. I'm scared to know what kind of "accountants" they used to be. _________________Clearly it is not the lovelorn sufferer who seeks solace in chocolate, but rather the chocolate-deprived individual, who, desperate, seeks in mere love a pale approximation of bittersweet euphoria. Sandra Boynton.

Joined: 08 Oct 2004Posts: 87Location: in the kitchen with a large bar of chocolate

Posted: Wed Dec 20, 2006 2:49 pm Post subject:

i haven't read the dallasfood.org article, but, i have tasted noka chocolates. has anyone else?

i've sampled all of them and enjoyed some of them. i have even given them as gifts to true chocolate aficionados and they have not been impressed with anything but the packaging. at informal chocolate tastings i've attended noka was least favorite among comparable origin chocolates (including praelus, bonnat, valrhona, and amedei )_________________monkey

Well! That astounds me! Thanks VERY much, Rainey, for pointing us to that article. I read every word. I've seen small boxes of Noka chocolate in some of our upscale stores here. We sampled some given to us once. No great shakes, it was ok but nothing wonderful and certainly not worth paying those prices for.

I've been to all of the stores mentioned in the article as sources of good chocolate. I've never been to the Noka storefront in Plano (ugh...the traffic), but if we go up there during the holidays I will drop by for sure.

Of all the comments in that long article, I most appreciate the distinction between a chocolate maker and a businessman.

Thanks again for the link!

Last edited by msue on Wed Dec 20, 2006 8:15 pm; edited 2 times in total

Rainey, thanks for passing this, and so many other great tidbits on. But what is Slashfood? I found it for the first time today. Someone's site? Couldn't find archives, etc., a la C&Z._________________Helen in San Francisco

What is SlashFood? I guess I'd call it a group blog about developments in food. There are American and British writers. They've recently asked for other writers to volunteer so if anyone wanted to add items of interest from the South Seas, Asia other parts of Europe and the globe I don't think those are areas they have covered first hand.

Together they post on themes they identify among themselves, digest the food sections of major newspapers, scan other food blogs and report on trends in food. I think they do an excellent job of providing information, inspiration and the right note of fun.

It's not at all personal like C&Z but I've recommended it several times for it's general interest._________________God writes a lot of comedy... the trouble is, he's stuck with so many bad actors who don't know how to play funny. -- Garrison Keillor

msue- Glad to have something of interest to you  particularly since we're enjoying the chocolate sugared almonds again this Christmas.

It really was an awesome,meticulous piece of investigation on the part of Dallas Food. I don't even know if Dallas Food is a blog, an individual or a publication. Well done, in any case._________________God writes a lot of comedy... the trouble is, he's stuck with so many bad actors who don't know how to play funny. -- Garrison Keillor

Rainey! I am so happy to hear that you have tried the almonds again this year. I thought of your sage advice from last year - silicone - and found it to be the charm for success. I used a silicone spoon for stirring, silicone spatulas for separating the cooling sugared nuts, I even turned the hot nuts out onto a Silpat liner. Clean up was a breeze.

I need to make one more batch. Oh poor poor me - what will I do with the extras?

We also made some spicy savory pecans roasted in Worcestershire and butter, then tossed with salt, cayenne, and a touch of cinnamon. Big hit!

Re: Dallas Food. I had not heard of it, but will track it for a while. It seems to be current, at least there was at least one restaurant review that reflected a recent chef change. If I see anything there of interest I'll try to share it here. Thanks for the link!

OK, Rainey, you owe me about $15,000. That's my hourly rate that I bill for being a lawyer in this Scrooge-like law firm, multiplied by the amount of time that I spent sucked into the NOKA article because once started, I couldn't stop until the end, multiplied by the NOKA markup!!! _________________The goal is to fit it all in.

Ah! Well, I'll have to cheer myself up that at least you'll be able to afford to go to la Maison du Chocolat and personally pick up your own chocolate Christmas tree.

The check is in the mail. Hope it doesn't get lost in the holiday deluge... _________________God writes a lot of comedy... the trouble is, he's stuck with so many bad actors who don't know how to play funny. -- Garrison Keillor